Summit Entertainment (later bought by Lionsgate), the studio behind the film adaptations of novels in the Twilight series, announced in November 2008 that it had obtained the rights to the rest of Stephenie Meyer's series, including Breaking Dawn.[1][2][3][4]Breaking Dawn was split in two parts due to the length of the book.

This movie picks up where the first half had left off, and was released on November 16, 2012.

Contents

Plot

"My time as a human was over. But I've never felt more alive.I was born to be a vampire."

―Bella

Bella's first hunt with Edward.

The movie picks up where the previous movie left off, right when Bella Cullen opens her eyes after her transformation into a vampire. She savors a moment with Edward Cullen and her newly developed beauty. She requests to meet her daughter, Renesmee Cullen, but Edward tells her she needs to hunt first. During the hunt, she quickly learns to harness her senses and abilities: when the scent of a human hiker crosses her nose, she immediately attempts to hunt the hiker, until Edward tells her not to. She quickly comes to her senses, runs away from the hiker's scent and feeds off a mountain lion when it tried to attack a deer, much to Edward's amazement.

Bella is pleased to see that Jacob didn't leave.

When they return home, Jacob Black tells Bella that she still looks like herself, though the red eyes are something to get used to. He then uses himself as a test subject to see if she is tame enough to meet her daughter without hurting her. Once she passes the test, she goes on to meet Renesmee, who shows her her first memory of Bella as a human. Bella then finds out that Jacob has imprinted on Renesmee and angrily confronts him about it. Her anger escalates to a nearly dangerous level when Jacob calls her daughter "Nessie" - a nickname derived from the Loch Ness Monster - to the point that she tries to attack him. Seth Clearwater interferes and gets thrown into a tree by Bella herself and she apologizes to him right after. Jacob continues to reason with Bella about the situation and finally succeeds.

Edward and Bella in their closet.

At nightfall, Bella's sister-in-law, Alice Cullen takes them to the cottage which will be Bella's, Edward's and Renesmee's home. Bella and Edward spend the night at the cottage, then return to the Cullen house the next morning, where they discuss how Bella will fake her own death to keep her father, Charlie Swan from finding out about her new situation (her being a new vampire and Renesmee's existence). Jacob, upset by the thought of separation from Renesmee, runs to Charlie to show him his ability to transform into a wolf, then explains that Bella had to change in order to get better from her "illness". Charlie goes to confront Bella, who tells him that she can only give limited information. Then he meets Renesmee, the "adopted daughter" of Bella and Edward, but he figures out the truth when he sees her hereditary brown eyes. Emmett Cullen challenges Bella to an arm wrestling match, which she wins due to her newborn superior strength. She remarks that though her time as a human was over, being a vampire had made her more alive; that she was born to be one.

Sam Uley's and Jacob's packs resolve their differences. Renesmee's rapid growth causes worries to the Cullens, who plan to travel to Brazil to learn about the Ticuna legends that may tell them how Renesmee will turn out in the future.

Bella and Edward are standing in front of Renesmee on the battle field.

Months later, Irina comes to Forks and misidentifies Renesmee as an "immortal child," a child who has been turned into a vampire when she sees her from a distance. She then travels to Italy to inform the Volturi of this matter, which triggers Alice's vision of their doom. In hopes of resolving the matter peacefully, the Cullens set out to find their friends (the Denali, Egyptian, Irish, Amazon, and Romaniancovens, as well as some nomads) from all around the world to stand as witnesses for them and prove to the Volturi that Renesmee is not an immortal child. Meanwhile, Bella finds out that she has the power to block psychic powers, and begins practicing how to use it. The packs are also expanded due to the increasing numbers of vampires near the area.

Bella, Edward, Renesmee and Jacob during the confrontation.

Bella finds a clue left by Alice, who has left the family with Jasper, and goes to find J. Jenks, a lawyer who has been forging illegal documents for the Cullens for decades. He gives Bella a set of IDs, passports, and driver's license forged for Renesmee and Jacob.

Alistair, one of the witnesses, leaves for his own survival. The Cullens and their allies gather around a bonfire the night before the confrontation and share war-stories. Upon confronting the gathered Cullen witnesses, the Volturi discover that they have been misinformed and immediately execute Irina for her mistake. However, they remain undecided on whether Renesmee should be viewed as a threat to vampires' secret existence. Alice and Jasper return in time to present their "proof" that Renesmee poses no danger, but Aro is determined to destroy the Cullens. Carlisle Cullen attempts to save Alice, but is immediately destroyed by Aro. The rest of the Cullens, Volturi and their respective allies engage in a huge battle, killing Jasper Hale, Seth Clearwater, Leah Clearwater and multiple others while Renesmee escapes with Jacob. Aro personally attacks Bella and Edward after most of his coven was destroyed, which results in his own destruction.

The scene is then brought back to the moment when Alice "shows" Aro her proof, revealing that the entire battle scene was a vision of his demise if he proceeds with his plan to destroy them. The new witnesses, Huilen and her half-vampire nephew, Nahuel, tell their story, revealing that they are actually much like pure vampires, but merely more human. The Volturi then leave in peace at Aro's confirmation that no danger is involved. As they leave, Aro glances back at Alice, then Bella, realizing that he has given up much to save his annihilation. The Cullens and their allies take a moment to rejoice in their victory. The Romanians demand to launch an attack, but no one is willing to follow, prompting their ambition to an end.

As their friends leave, Edward tells Jacob that Renesmee is lucky to have him. He asks if he should start calling Edward "dad" now, but he disagrees immediately. While the four of them (Bella, Edward, Jacob and Renesmee) share a moment together, Alice shows Edward a vision of the four of them. Renesmee has grown into a fine young woman and is living happily and peacefully with Jacob and their family.

Bella and Edward's final scene.

Sometime later, back in the meadow, Bella removes her shield to give Edward access to her thoughts for the first time. She tells him that no one has ever loved anyone as much as she loves him, but he disagrees saying there is one exception. He then asks her to remove her shield again, but she tells him they have forever to work on it.

The movie ends with Bella and Edward kissing and enjoying their forever.

The movie concludes with the couple kissing, and the saga ends.

Production

Development

Meyer stated in her Breaking Dawn FAQ that if a film were to be created, she thought it would have to be made into two movies because "it's hard to imagine it fitting into ninety minutes. The book is just so long! I can't imagine how to distill it—if I could, the book would be shorter."[5] According to Variety, the studio had decided to split the 756-page book into two films, along the same lines as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows[6]. Subsequently, Summit had to negotiate new deals with the main cast, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, since they were only under contract for four films.[6]

Meyer also believed it may be impossible to make Breaking Dawn into a film, due to Renesmee, writing that an actress could not play her because she is a baby but has complete awareness, and that "the one thing that I've never seen is a CGI human being which truly looks real"; however, she went on to state that "they develop amazing new technologies everyday, and we've got a little time left."[5] It is still however unknown whether Renesmee will be CGI, or if one/many actresses will portray her. There are also concerns about making a PG-13 movie adaptation, given the book's complex and graphic storylines, including the birth of a half-vampire, half-human baby.[6]

It was announced on April 28, 2010 that Bill Condon will direct the film. On July 5, on Twitter, Melissa Rosenberg, the official screenwriter for Twilight, announced that Breaking Dawn will remain a PG-13 movie.

She made a quote saying that:

"I think we can get awfully [hot] with PG-13. I'm not worried about the rating. I know a lot of fans are like, 'We have to go R to do it justice', but i don't think so. I think it's going to be pretty hot. Way hot!"

Rosenberg says. Rosenberg was referring to the worry of some fans about the movie being rated R because of love scenes between Edward and Bella. She added that a lot can be done in a PG-13 movie, despite what skeptics may think or say.[7]

Filming

Aro and other Volturi members ready for the battle.

In July 2010, Summit announced that the movie will be shot in Vancouver, Canada and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[8] Both parts of Breaking Dawn were shot simultaneously as one project. Filming officially began on November 1, 2010 in Brazil.

It took about four to five weeks to shoot the ending sequence of Part 2 which would consume about twenty-seven minutes of the film. The sequence was shot using a green screen and fake snow with 75 actors on set.

Filming wrapped on April 15, 2011, ending the franchise's three years of production since March 2008.

In April 2012, director Bill Condon announced that there would be reshoots in Los Angeles. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart filmed that day as the very last day of filming for the Twilight franchise.

Humans

Leaks and lawsuit

Leaks

When the filming started on November 7, 2010 in these locations - (Lapa District and Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil) leaked set photos and footage videos surfaced online. Summit Entertainment responded to the leaks by removing the photos and videos from YouTube , fansites, and gossip websites. On January 13, 2011, scans of a still of Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in one of their honeymoon scenes in an Entertainment Weekly article ran online, prior to the magazine's official release of the still. On March 31 and April 1, 2011, a mass leak of a 14-second video and numerous low-quality stills hit the Internet, resulting to enthusiastic fan reaction and speculations that the film wouldn't be able to maintain a PG-13 rating.

Summit Entertainment official statement saying:

As some of you may know, pictures and screen grabs of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn as a work in progress have leaked on the internet. We are extremely proud of this film and also extremely heartbroken to see it out there at this stage. The film and these images are not yet ready or in their proper context. They were illegally obtained and their early dissemination is deeply upsetting to the actors, the filmmakers and Summit who are working so hard to bring these movies to fruition to you in November 2011 and November 2012. Please, for those who are posting, stop. And please, though the temptation is high, don't view or pass on these images. Wait for the film in its beautiful, finished entirety to thrill you.

Additionally, the teaser trailer for Part 1 leaked online hours before its debut at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards.

Lawsuit

On August 1, 2011, Summit released a press release announcing the identification of some of the alleged people responsible for the leak of images and video from Breaking Dawn on March 31 and April 1 and the decision to take legal action. Summit claimed that the leak came from Posadas, Argentina, but due to the possibility that other people might be involved in the leak, the investigation is still ongoing. The only person Summit named was a woman called Daiana Santia, resident in Posadas, allegedly being involved in the group that stole the images and footage. Civil action has been filed in the U.S. and Argentina, while criminal action has also been filed in Argentina. Summit hired law firm Keats McFarland & Wilson LLP to search four continents, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia, to find the other people behind the leak.

On the other hand, Santia hosted a press conference in her town and denied Summit's claims. She claimed that she only saw the images "while surfing the Internet" and didn't send them to anyone. She also stated that she didn't log in anywhere to see them and denies having the technical knowledge of hacking, specifically saying that she "in no way be considered a "hacker" because [she] has no computer skills other than simple user level". Her attorney confirmed that Santia and her family are considering a counterclaim against Summit due to defamation of character and continual harassment by the film's producers who kept requesting that she would let them check her computer to see if she still has the images on her hard disk, although she refused more than once claiming that she is innocent and her computer contains personal items. Her attorney called the situation "a harm to privacy and personal right".

Summit's official response to the press conference said, "First and most important this is NOT about greed or the Studio wanting to bully a woman from a small town in Argentina – rather, it is about stolen material that is private and sensitive which was obtained by illegally accessing private/secure servers as well as personal email accounts." Summit gave details about the case stating that the studio has been in contact with Santia since May 2011, but "with no resolution or further good faith efforts on their part, thus the only alternative left was to pursue legal action to ascertain that Ms. Santia no longer holds the images and video in any shape or form.

In the response, Summit announced the following claims:

Specifically on June 8, 2011, Ms. Santia confessed in the presence of her attorney that she accessed servers and email accounts via a systematic attack — stealing photographs, unfinished images and video footage over several months. Additionally there is indisputable evidence linking her directly to IP addresses that were used in the unauthorized access. Her actions appear to be premeditated and not done on a whim, but rather using technology and tactics that require thought as well as time and skill. Because Ms. Santia decided that she does not want to cooperate, Summit has been unable to settle this matter privately with Ms. Santia and her representatives in Argentina.

Home media

The DVD/Blu-ray of Breaking Dawn - Part 2 will be released on March 2, 2013. It also includes a digital copy and an UltraViolet copy. Special features include:

Music

In January 2012, it was revealed that the soundtrack that accompanies Breaking Dawn - Part 2 had started production. The soundtrack was released on November 13, 2012.

A song by the band Iko was featured in an exclusive scene of the movie, and it was announced in July that they would be on the soundtrack. In July, the electro-pop band Passion Pit was the first band announced for the Breaking Dawn - Part 2 soundtrack. In October, the full soundtrack was released. It included the return of Christina Perri and newcomers like Green Day and Ellie Goulding. The Twilight Saga's own Nikki Reed, along with her husband Paul McDonald were included.

Trivia

Breaking Dawn is the only two-part movie in the series.

All the films and its logos have all been in a certain tint. Twilight: blue/grey; New Moon: gold/brown; Eclipse: white/grey/red; Breaking Dawn - Part 1: coral/red; Breaking Dawn - Part 2: yellow/blue.

Both parts of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn were filmed as one whole movie over several months.

This film had a $120 million dollar budget, making it the highest out of every Twilight installment filmed.

This is the first of the Twilight movies to ever have such extensive credits, in both the beginning and end.

This is the first film featuring opening credits.

Every actor with a speaking role in the entire film series was credited at the end of the film.

This is the first and only film that does not feature a quote from Bella at the beginning. Instead, her quotes are featured throughout the rest of the movie.